Phil Parkinson insisted his Altrincham players are ready for the challenge ahead after the Robins boss countered the setback of a second key player succumbing to injury by making three new signings ahead of Saturday’s season opener against Maidstone United at The J.Davidson Stadium.

Already without Matty Kosylo for the next few months following knee surgery, the Robins were left reeling from another blow when dynamic midfielder Isaac Marriott suffered a ligament injury that will keep him on the sidelines for a lengthy spell.

But the Robins moved swiftly to balance the books, snapping up attacking midfielder Aaron Bennett from Championship side Preston North End on a three-month loan earlier this week after already signing centre-back James Jones from Barrow and forward Alex Samizadeh at the end of last week.

It’s a historic day for Alty on Saturday, their first competitive game as a full-time professional outfit, and Parkinson is confident his new-look squad will not let anyone down.

“We are new as a full-time club, but it feels like the norm now after a month or so of pre-season training and games, and we do feel really well prepared,” said the Alty manager. “We are not going to be giants in this division. We are probably in the bottom two or three, in budgetary terms, but it’s what you do with that money and the extra time you’ve got that counts.

“It will be a smaller squad than before, but we have got a strong group, full of really good players, and we want to make a statement this season.

“One thing we need to go for us is injuries, and we’ve had the misfortune to suffer a couple of freakish ones, but I’m delighted to go into the season with this squad and grateful to the board for the support that helped attract these players.’

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance from www.altrinchamfc.com, though there will be the option to pay at the gate on the day.